The Opelousas courier., 1887-10-29
A xsot Of Famous Criminals.
THE COLONY OF NEW CALEDONIA BETTEi
THAN THE sLUMs OF PARIS.

THE COLONY OF NEW CALEDONIA BETTER
THAN THE sLUMs OF PARIS.
London Telegraph.
An interesting account of the present
status Of the notorious French criini-
| nails in New Caledonia has been fur
| nished by an official who has just re-
turned from that penal colony. The
most respectable, as we'll as the senior,
of all the convicts is Berezovski, the
Pole who fired at the Emperor Alexan-
dria ii during the Paris exhibition Of
1867. Frequent applications have been
made for the liberation OF B~erezovski,
| but they have all been refused. He is
now in the island of Nou, where he oc-
| cupips IL little room apart from all the
bad characters, and bae even a small
| garden for himself. lit roam about
| the island, which is one fourth of the
| size of Paris, at his own sweet will, and
his conduct has always been irreproach.
fable. He receives a large quantity of
newspapers, books aud pamphlets from
different countries by every mail. Be-
rezoyski is now old and feeble to an ex-
treme degree. u,
of a different class are Gillies and
Abadie, the murderers of the Paris gro
Ger Lecercle. These worthless are IN
ployed as street scavengers at Noumea,
and their occupation is looked upon BY
their companions in penal servitude as
a good one, for it is easy, and also ena-
bles them to pick up bits of tobacco and
various odds and ends, including occa-
sional aims. Guichard, who murdered
a bank messenger at Marseilles, is do
ing we'll as a store clerk, and hopes one
day, if not to get to Australia, at least
to settle down in New Caledonia as q
colonist. One of the most comfortable
and thriving of the %convicts is %Fenayrou,
the chemist Of the Boulevard Males
herbes, who led the lover Of his wife
into an ambush at Chatou, and then
murdered him in a most atroci0us man.
ner. This criminal has passed through
the various categories until he arrived
amo,Ig the first class convicts. He has
a share IN a farm which he and his wife
superintend, and lie has under his Or
ders some of the lower class of crimi-
nails. His life sentence has been com
muted to one of twenty years. The
doctor who Was condemned last year
for having sent poisoned game to a col
!. league is giving satisfaction, and hopes
to be able to attain the privileges ac-
corded to Fenayrou.
On the whole, the educated crimi.
nails, even those who are undergoing
sentences for serious crimes, are highly
spoked of by the governor of Noumea,
aud the most unmitigated rascals are
the Paris gamins and the british peas
ants Ut Iaborers. Every year a certain
number of these have to be shot down
The official who uses his revolver against
the convicts is tried as d fOrmallty by d
court martiai and acquitted.
The number of convicts is 10000 Of
more, and there are in addition $40 fe
male convicts, who, however, were sen
out to Noumea of their own accord from
> the Maisou Centrale of Paris for th'
purpose of marrying first class misde
meanants. These women are superVls
> ed by nuns. There are on the islant
600 warders Tie number of first elias
conyicts amounts to 1000, and some Q
, them, like Fenayrou, have been allow
: ed to send for their wives. The stat
. furnishes them with agricultural nipple
= meuts, food, aud even a few head G
! cattle, when they are permitted to be
= gin farming, and they generally con
! trive to do well, Another class, apai
: from aIlrthe otherss is composed 6
skilled tsades1nen and merchants, must
Cans, and even actors. These have
: savings bank of >.is es own, a kind
, = clah, and are almost too prosperous 70
" eonvicts. The bandsmen are said to b
; as good rs many regimental performer
and they play programmes of select MI
sic before the governors mansion twie
i a week, beside giving occasional cor
certs. From this it will be seen thu
the life of many %convicts is far bett'
than that which is led by thousands
the slums of Paris, and it is no wond'
!, That, such being the case, numerol
!. t1ransgressors against the law of Il
i land, including those who commit Il
: most terrible crimes, should view WI
70 longing anl delight their dispatch
New Caledonia by the clement manda
Is eff the president of the republic.